The Long Kiss Goodnight
by Elly3981
Summary: He knew he should refuse but he couldn't; he had already promised her, that he would give her anything, anything in his power to grant and he could not go back on his word... Manga based Abel/Esther


**Disclaimer: I do not own Trinity Blood and do not make money off this fic. I write it for my amusement only (and yours too) I hope you like it! On a note, it is not related to my other TB fic 'Missing You' because it is based off the manga which I just finished reading up to the 14th volume. Those who've only seen the anime may have difficulty following my story so I recommend reading the manga first if you haven't. This story takes place after the Ibelis Arc but before Abel and company leaves for the Methuselah Empire and meet Seth. I must also warn that this fic has some sexuality and that you do not read if you are offended by such material. This story is also available in doujinshi form and anyone who is interested in seeing can drop me a PM! Thanx! ^^**

**The Long Kiss Goodnight**

"All right, it looks like you don't have any serious injuries; you're free to go now, Abel. And congratulations on a job well done; Lady Caterina will be pleased." Sister Kate said after she finished looking the silver-haired priest over. He and Esther had just returned to the _Iron Maiden II_ from Cartago after barely succeeding in preventing the Ibelis from burying the entire city under a sandstorm; even though neither appeared to be seriously hurt, both were still required to report to sickbay to be examined before being allowed to retire for the night. Sister Kate had already examined and dismissed Esther before sending her to her quarters and Abel was to be her last patient for the evening. Although he had been seriously injured by an auto jager, Abel's crusinik powers had already healed any potential life-threatening wounds before he returned to the ship so all he had to be treated were a few scratches. But he saw no reason to mention that to Sister Kate so he merely nodded and thanked his friend.

"I appreciate your care, Sister. What about Esther?"

"With the exception of a few minor scratches and bruises, she's fine. You should consider yourself lucky to have such a devoted partner; I imagine it would've been quite difficult for you to stop the Ibelis by yourself."

Abel almost laughed at the irony of Sister Kate's remark. It wouldn't have been difficult but _impossible_ to save Cartago without Esther's help for Lilith had set up an interruption option on the Ibelis that allowed the city's self-destruct system to be aborted only if Abel can save, or as his first love put it 'show mercy' to one human, a city survivor. With less than ten minutes before the sandstorm reached the city, he knew that such a condition would be impossible to meet and nearly gave in to despair, not even bothering to fight back after he was attacked by an auto jager, when Esther barged into the control room, shot his attacker and demanded that he got up and finish what he started. To say that he was surprised to see her was an understatement; his protégé was the last person he would expect to come to his rescue considering the fact that she nearly died of fright from seeing his crusinik form. But Abel saw no reason to mention that either; it would have been complicated to explain and he wasn't in the mood to so he simply nodded his head in agreement.

"Yes, it would have been quite difficult indeed. I'll admit that even though I preferred her to stay here, I'm glad she showed up when she did. I'll always be grateful to her for that."

The blond nun snorted. "That's good. But I'm not the one you should be saying that to. If you haven't yet, I think you should thank her for coming to your rescue. It's getting late and with the hectic events of the day, I'm sure she went back to her quarters to retire for the evening. As a reward for helping you, Lady Caterina ordered that she be given a guest room on the ship. If you leave now, you may be able to catch her before she goes to bed."

"You're right. Can you tell me which room she's staying in?"

"Sure. Here, I'll write it down." Sister Kate took a pen and piece of paper and scratched down some directions and a room number before handing it to Abel. Taking the note, the silver-haired priest shoved it in one of the pockets of his cassock.

"Thank you, Sister. I'll be sure to drop by and see her before I retire myself. Have a good night and I will see you in the morning."

"You too, Abel. Good night."

**SSSSSS**

"Esther, are you awake? It's me, Father Nightroad." The silver-haired priest called after stopping in front of the door to her guest quarters. Though he had yet to stay in one himself, he heard that they were the finest rooms aboard the _Iron Maiden II_, usually reserved for important guests. After hearing the role that Esther played in stopping the Ibelis, Lady Caterina ordered that she be given the finest room on the ship for the remainder of their trip back to the Vatican as a reward while the others, including Abel, were permitted only normal living quarters. Of course, he was perfectly fine with it. As far as he was concerned, he could not have succeeded in his mission without her help; had Esther not shown up when she did, the entire city of Cartago and all its residents would have been buried under a sea of sand. In short, her actions saved the lives of thousands.

After waiting a few moments without answer, Abel concluded that Esther may have fallen asleep already and prepared to take his leave when he saw the door slide open and found his red-headed protégé standing before him clad in only a satin knee-length chemise; having just bathed, she smelled of sweet milk and honey and he found the scent pleasing.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you? If so, I'll take my leave now; we can talk in the morning when you're rested."

Esther shook her head. "No, not at all, Father. I'm not that tired, actually. I was having a drink to help me relax a bit; it has been a hectic last few days. If you're not busy, would you care to join me?"

Abel was surprised. Drinking? Esther never really cared for alcohol; in all the time he knew her, he only saw her drink when she must at special events to be social. But then again, it shouldn't come as a surprise; so much has happened over the last half week, anyone would have been overwhelmed and feel the need to relax and to be honest, a drink does sound very appealing right now.

"Of course, I'd love to. May I?"

Esther nodded as she stepped aside and allowed her guardian to enter her quarters. As soon as he was inside, Abel looked around and whistled. The room was like a hotel suite, one of the finest he had ever seen. He had been on board the _Iron Maiden II_ many times but never knew the ship had such a fine room. The place also had a large bathroom with a hot-tub and the main room had many fine furnishings aside from the king-sized bed at the back such as a lovely antique sofa with an exquisitely carved wooden table nearby to name a few. Both sofa and table were six feet or so in front of a well-lit fireplace. Esther had not turned on the lights so the flames from the fireplace were all that was lighting the room. But at the moment, she wanted it that way for a more relaxing atmosphere. Looking at the table between the sofa and the fireplace, Abel saw a bottle of brandy with a glass next to it. It looked like she may have had a drink or two before he arrived and wasn't quite drunk or anything yet so she wouldn't have a problem drinking with him for a bit as well.

"Have a seat while I find you a glass, Father." Esther said as she went to a cabinet on the wall to fetch him a wine glass. The priest obeyed as he sat down on the sofa and tried to relax while waiting for his protégé. He was glad he showered and changed into a new cassock before coming to see her for it would have been an awkward meeting if he arrived in a dirty, torn uniform covered in dried blood and debris from his ordeal in Cartago. Abel could not help smiling as he thought about how embarrassed Sister Kate was when he showed up in sick bay half-naked the day before to check up on Ion and Esther. His sudden transformation had torn his summer uniform to pieces, exposing his arms and chest as well as parts of his legs. Being the prude that she was, Sister Kate screamed upon seeing his partially bare body, calling him an 'AX flasher' and demanding that he get changed immediately. He was glad Esther was asleep at the time for he probably would have died of embarrassment if it were her instead of Sister Kate who saw him in such a state.

"Here" Esther said as she returned and handed Abel a wine glass before taking her seat next to him. "Will Brandy be acceptable? If there's something else you prefer, I'm pretty sure I can find it in the wine cabinet."

Abel shook his head as he took the glass. "No, it's ok, don't trouble yourself. Brandy will do just fine."

Esther smiled as she reached for the bottle and poured him and herself a glass of the sweet, red nectar. As they sipped their drinks, Abel looked over at the lovely red-head and remembered his reason for seeing her in the first place so he decided to get it out of the way before he forgot completely. Setting his glass down, he cleared his throat and began.

"Umm… Esther, the reason I came here is because I wanted to thank you for being there for me. If you had not come, the mission would have ended in failure and I'd probably be dead along with all the citizens of Cartago." As he said this, he looked up and gazed into the face of his young partner. He was not wearing his usual glasses for his latest pair had been accidentally broken by Esther and it would be at least a few days before he could get another but he was perfectly fine with it; he didn't really need them anyway.

Esther blushed and looked down. She was so used to seeing Abel with his glasses that for some reason, she felt more exposed when he looked at her without them. "You're welcome. I'm glad that I was able to be of some assistance; after all, isn't that what you've taken all the trouble of training me for?"

"Right" he answered as he gently took her chin and tilted her face up, forcing her to look into his eyes. As soon as she was looking directly at him, Abel noticed that her left cheek was slightly bruised and a little swollen which he thought was strange because he recalled that she had not been injured when she came to his rescue at the command center beneath the Queen's Tomb in Cartago. Neither had she been injured in their previous encounters with Radu and Brother Petros. It had been almost half a week since their first meeting with Ion but he had been so pre-occupied with everything that's been going on that he never noticed anything abnormal about Esther until now.

Curious, he lifted his other hand and gently brushed her cheek but no sooner did his fingers graze her skin, Esther gasped in pain and quickly turned her face away. Abel's eyes widened in shock as he realized to his horror that he had slapped her harder then he intended and that she still suffered from the blow, even after nearly half a week; she had been drinking to dull the pain in order to avoid having to ask for medicine and exposing her condition. People often told Abel that he didn't know his own strength but he never paid them any heed until now. Cursing his carelessness, he quickly took Esther in his arms and held her close, whispering fevered words of apology in her ear.

"Esther, I'm so sorry! Why didn't you say anything after all this time?" Had he known she would be in pain for so long, he would have never slapped her no matter how angry he was.

"It wasn't important!" she insisted "There were much more pressing matters to worry about and I didn't even feel it until you touched me!" That wasn't true and they both knew it. Esther hid her condition because if they had known, Sister Kate and Father Tres would have never allowed her to leave the ship to assist him. Even now, she refused to ask for pain medication because she didn't want to be left out of anything that might happen in the near future.

Cradling her in his arms, Abel apologized again "Please forgive me, Esther. I never meant or wanted to hurt you. It's just that I was so angry and scared out of my wits because you acted so recklessly; do you have any idea what could have happened had I not found you in time?"

Esther stiffened at first but soon allowed herself to relax in her guardian's arms, taking in the pleasant scent of his cologne. How many times had she imagined what it would be like to have him hold her like this? Although she was too embarrassed to admit it, she was glad because it gave her an excuse to be closer to Abel. "It's alright, Father" Esther said softly as she returned his embrace "You had every right to be angry because I jeopardized the mission by not following your orders."

"No, Esther, you don't understand" he said gently, stroking her soft hair "I asked you to stay behind because I wanted to keep you out of danger, not because I didn't have faith in your abilities. I was angry because you endangered _yourself_, not the mission. Still, that was no reason to strike you and I must apologize. If there's anything I can do to make it better, please tell me…"

Esther was silent a moment before backing away slightly and looking into Abel's eyes. "Anything? Anything I want?"

"Yes…if it's in my power to grant it."

Smiling, she leaned forward and whispered sensuously in his ear "Then kiss me…"

No sooner did those words leave her mouth did Abel realize his mistake. Again, he silently cursed his carelessness in making her such a rash promise before thinking it through. It wasn't because he didn't want to; quite the opposite. It was because he was afraid, afraid of what will happen if he were to grant her request. He knew she was asking for more than just a kiss and it would shatter the image of her that he had been trying to maintain in his mind, that of a child he had taken under his wing and had sworn to protect.

_Child?_ He thought wryly, mouth twisting. _If that were true then why does she tempt me so? _Good question. Abel's fine looks and winning personality made him quite popular with the ladies of the Vatican but despite being surrounded by his countless admirers, he wasn't easily seduced and skillfully resisted the advances of other women, so much that it became an art form to him. But the scarlet-haired, emerald-eyed beauty before him was something else; it also didn't help that she was sitting right in his lap clad only in her filmsy nightgown with her graceful swan-like neck and creamy skin exposed to his gaze.

_Child? _If only that were true. If only he could ignore her the curves of her body or the raw lust in those dark green pools that were tinged with purple and gold, like the stem of a rose, the eyes that complimented her scarlet hair so beautifully. He had been in such denial for so long, deluding himself into believing that he loved his prized pupil as a parent loves a child. She was seventeen, a baby to his nine hundred but still clearly no child. He may have been absent-minded and klutzy at times but he wasn't blind and neither was he ignorant of Esther's feelings for him; he had been naive (and foolish) to think that he could lavish affection upon her, protect her so fiercely, and not expect her to fall in love.

Upon seeing him hesitate, Esther asked "What's wrong?"

"No…nothing! You just surprised me, that's all."

"I see…so will you?"

Abel knew he should refuse but he couldn't. He had already promised her, that he would give her anything, anything in his power to grant and he could not go back on his word. He wished that there was something, anything he could say that would make her change her mind but looking into her eyes, he knew there was nothing; she could see right through to him, knew that he wanted it as much as she did, that his feelings for her was not that of a parent for a child, but the passionate love a man had for a woman.

Resigning himself to his defeat, Abel slowly tipped Esther over as he closed his eyes, leaned forward, and touched his lips to hers in a tender kiss, the kiss he knew would seal his fate.

He had intended it to last only a moment but as soon as he felt her taste on his tongue, he was instantly addicted; she was the sweetest thing he had ever tasted. Her flavor was intoxicating, inescapable, and maddeningly overpowering. He could not pull himself away nor will she let him. Sliding her hands up his back and shoulders, Esther tightened her hold on Abel as she deepened the kiss, plundering his mouth. It was just as he predicted, she wanted more as her actions proved when her hands left his shoulders and proceeded to loosen his collar and unfasten the clasps of his cassock, slipping her hands inside and caressing his naked skin. He tried to pull away, to protest. He loved Esther, so much that he would have done anything, even die for her if she asked it of him. But this… this could not happen.

"Esther…this isn't…we can't-"

"Why not?" she interrupted, her voice breaking, tears welling up in her lovely green eyes "Why can't we? I love you, Father, I do…so please love me back… I can't live if you don't…"

Abel couldn't believe what he was hearing. He wanted to dismiss her words as the ramblings of a girl whose feelings were nothing more than a childish infatuation but he knew better. The fact that she could still say such things to him after he had hurt her, after she discovered his terrible secret said more about her feelings then words ever could.

Before he could protest further, she leaned forward and kissed him again, shaking almost violently, begging for his love. "Please love me…"

With a muffled groan, Abel returned her kiss, cradling the back of her head and slanting his mouth across hers, sliding his tongue past her parted lips, stroking the inside of her mouth in a provocative imitation of lovemaking.

When the demands of his lungs finally ended the kiss, he pressed his lips to her warm forehead, breathing heavily."I already do" he whispered against her heated skin. "I do love you, Esther, I always have. And I always will…"

"Then take me… I need you…I need you tonight..."

_Oh God… _Abel thought, his head spinning as his mind tried to compute what he had just heard. He felt dizzy and could barely think over the pleasurable sensation of his lover's hands on his body. Abel met her eyes, making every effort not to let his torment show on his face.

_No Esther, please don't ask this of me. I'll never be able to let you go after that, I won't. You'll be mine and I won't let another have you if you ask this of me now..._

That was what he wanted to say but the words would not come. And even if he spoke them, he knew they would only fall on deaf ears. He felt the warm air touch his skin as Esther continued to pull off his outer cassock, unbutton his shirt, tug on his pants, even pulling off his gloves and boots as well as his hair tie, freeing his beautiful silver mane. He gasped when he felt her dot open-mouthed kisses down his bare throat and chest, teasing his sensitive skin with her lips and tongue, and thought he would die when he felt her hand slide down to touch the most intimate part of his body; never had he seen her display such shocking and daring behavior. She was a brave girl but he had never known her to be so bold when it came to matters of passion.

Until now.

Said girl smiled wickedly as she tightened her grip on his shaft and slowly started pumping him with her hand. Abel felt his cheeks grow even hotter as he struggled to find his voice.

"Esther, please stop..." he pleaded. He may as well have been talking to a brick wall for all the good it did.

"But why?" she asked innocently as if she had no idea what she was doing to him "Don't you like it?"

_Too much, I'm afraid... _but he refrained from voicing his thoughts, not wanting to encourage the little minx any further. Too bad his expression gave him away.

"No? Then how about this?" Esther teased as she got on her knees, dipped her head, and placed a hot wet kiss on his tip, nearly making him choke, before putting the rest of him into her mouth, her lips sliding up and down his shaft as she sucked him hard. Abel placed his hands on her shoulders and tried to push her away but he didn't try very hard. How could this happen? He was a crusinik, one of the world's oldest, most powerful living vampires, second only to his brother, Cain, yet he was completely at the mercy of this frail slip of a girl, his body hers to do with as she pleased.

_Is this your revenge? You're punishing me?_

In the mist of his ecstasy, Abel managed to crack one of his eyes open to see his love's head bobbing up and down over his lap, a thin stream of his seed oozing from the corner of her mouth, dribbling down her chin; the sight made the blood in his veins run hot as the dam holding back his lust finally broke down. He couldn't resist any more and finally gave in to the beautiful fiery temptress before him. Grabbing Esther, he stripped off her chemise before pulling her to her feet and dragged her over to the fireplace, tossing her onto the fur rug completely nude before lowering himself over her.

"What are you doing?" Esther cried as she looked up into Abel's face. His eyes may be the color of ice but there was nothing icy about the stare he was giving her now. Leaning down so that his lips were next to her ear once more, he answered, his voice harsh with barely restrained lust:

"You win, Esther. I'll give you what you want but know that there will be a price."

"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"I that mean if we do this, you will be utterly and completely mine. No other man will ever lay hands on your skin, caress your naked breasts, come between your thighs and bury himself inside of you, only me. Do you accept? Because if not, tell me now while I still have my self-control."

If he were any other man, Esther would have laughed but with Abel, she knew better. He may joke about other things but not this. There was a deadly and fierce possessiveness in his tone that told her he meant every word he said, that he would kill any other man who dared try and touch her after this. Even so, she was not afraid because he was the only man she would ever desire and that she would have no other. Looking into his hungry eyes, she gave her answer:

"Yes, I accept with all my heart."

He smiled in triumph. "Good."

Before she could even blink, Esther found her legs spread and her lover inside her within seconds. She cried out as she felt something inside rip and warm liquid wetting the inside of her thighs. Fortunately for her, it wasn't as painful as she thought and the pain was gone as quickly as it came. Even so, Abel still thought of her and leaned over to kiss her again, whispering yet another apology for hurting her.

"Forgive me, love…"

Esther shook her head as she reached up to touch her lover's handsome face. "No…don't apologize. I want this…I want you… so don't stop, please… make me yours tonight…"

Abel didn't need any further goading. Smiling, he kissed her below her ear and whispered "Yes… just hold on to me…" She obeyed, gripped his shoulders and held him tighter as he started thrusting into her, building up a slow and steady rhythm. Esther lifted her legs and wrapped them around his slender body as their hips locked and moved in an erotic dance, the flames from the fireplace adding to their own heat.

The little red-head moaned and cried with pleasure as she was being deflowered, running her hands up and down her lover's bare back, her naked breasts brushing against the hard muscles of his chest. For a man who had not performed in centuries, she had to admit Abel was doing very well in pleasuring her. His breath was hot and heavy on her neck as he relished the feel of his love naked and writhing in ecstasy beneath him, her pleasure mirroring his own; they kissed again, and again, and again, about to explode with emotion...

"Oooh, yes...More… I want more…" she moaned and he obeyed, sliding his hands under her bare bottom, pushing deeper and thrusting even harder into her, holding back his climax until he could hold it no longer.

Abel buried his face in Esther's neck and groaned her name one last time before releasing himself inside of her, his warm essence filling her body. Exhausted, he collapsed onto top of her, their naked bodies twisted together in heated passion as they struggled to catch their breaths.

When she finally managed to find her voice, Esther moved slightly to kiss Abel below his ear. "Thank you, love, you were wonderful, everything I thought you would be."

He laughed softly as he eased himself from her "Your welcome, so were you. But remember what I said; you belong to me now."

"Of course…I would have no other. I love you and only you, Father."

"Abel" he corrected. "Call me that from now on, please…"

"Yes, Abel. I'm getting very sleepy. Will you stay here with me tonight?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way. Here…" getting up, Abel lifted Esther into his arms and carried her to bed, sliding the blankets over her before settling in himself.

"Good night, Esther, my love…" he whispered, caressing her cheek as he laid next to her "And thank you…for having me and accepting me for all that I am; I'll always remember this night for as long as I live."

She smiled before closing her eyes in sleep. "Don't worry, there will be many more like it, I promise. Good night, Abel; I love you…"

"Yes… I love you, too. Sleep well…"

**End...for now...**

**A/N: Ok, finished. I hope my readers find this fic romantic and passionate enough without being too explicit. I've always been a fan of romance but I cannot stand vulgarity and try to avoid it as much as possible in my fics; the only problem is that there is often a fine line between the two which makes it a little tricky to write love scenes. Anyway, I just finished reading the manga up to the latest installment and I must admit that I like it better then the anime since its longer and more detailed. I also hope I kept Abel and Esther IC, they both seem quite different in the manga then the anime, especially Esther. I notice she's a lot more daring and outspoken so I decided to use it for this fic. If you like this fic, please drop me a review and I'll write a sequel as soon as I get enough of 'em! ;)**


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